Part 44

_Answer._—It says that you are nearer right than your friend. It is likely that he gets his notion from noting the total expenditures for the “military establishment” as given in Secretary Folger’s report a few days ago, amounting to $48,911,382.93. Let him look at the items and he will see such ones as this, “Improving rivers and harbors,” $13,639,381.27 included under the above head. Owing to the important bearing of the transportation question and the condition of our harbors upon the subject of National defense; in deference to the State rights advocates of early times; and also because of the prevailing confidence in the ability of the engineer corps of the United States army, the appropriations made by Congress for the improvement of the National water-ways have, as a rule, been expended under the direction of army engineers. Below are given all the items that enter into the grand total of nearly fifty millions which your friend erroneously charges up as the annual cost of the United States army. This is a statement for the fiscal year closing June 30, 1883:

Pay Department $12,659,814.60 Commissary Department 2,062,922.17 Quartermaster’s Department 13,179,792.45 Medical Department 377,647.82 Ordnance Department 1,861,826.37 Military Academy 144,332.46 Improving rivers and harbors 13,639,381.27 Contingencies 26,676.19 Expenses of recruiting 100,646.45 Signal Service 294,466.54 Expenses of military convicts 93,085.37 Publishing official records of the rebellion 33,486.68 Support of National Home for Disabled Volunteers 1,122,088.03 Support of Soldiers’ Home 162,928.48 Construction of military posts, roads, etc. 268,707.69 Fortifications 174,312.72 National cemeteries 211,156.55 Fifty per cent arrears of army transportation 296,379.38 Construction of military telegraphs 48,989.00 Bounty to soldiers, act of July 28, 1866 75,214.30 Expenses of arctic exploring expedition 53,000.00 Bounty to volunteers 244,550.91 Mississippi River Commission 165,000.00 Reimbursing the State of Missouri 234,580.10 Reimbursing the State of Oregon. 70,268.08 Claims for quartermasters’ and commissary supplies 311,062.75 Refunding to States expenses in raising volunteers 454,163.07 Operating and care of canals 199,200.00 Horses and other property lost in the service 105,061.60 Purchase of the Arlington estate 125,000.00 Miscellaneous 115,641.90 —————————————— Total military establishment $48,911,382.93

The first five of the above items, aggregating a little over thirty million dollars, constitute almost the entire expenditure on account of the existing army and its operations during the year named.

ESTIMATING WEIGHT OF CATTLE.

HASTINGS, Neb.

Give us a rule, if there is any, for calculating the weight of cattle by measuring them.

A. C.

_Answer._—No rule will lead to anything more than an approximation to the actual weight. Every stock-raiser should have his own scales. The following is as good a rule as any for estimating the weight of animals by measure: Multiply the girth in inches, taken immediately behind the shoulder blade, by the length in inches from the square of the buttock to the point of the shoulder blade, and divide the product by 144, which gives the number of superficial feet. If the animal has a girth of 3 to 5 feet, multiply the number of superficial feet by 16, and you will have its approximate weight. If the girth is 5 to 7 feet multiply by 23, and if 7 to 9 feet multiply by 31. If less than 3 feet girth, as in the cases of small calves, hogs, sheep, etc., multiply by 11. Allowance must be made for the build of the animal, conditions of fattening, etc. The above rule is for grass-fed cattle; it being estimated that in the cases of grass-fatted sheep, calves, and kine, or steers, each superficial foot, when the girth is 3 feet or under, represents a weight of 11 pounds; when 3 to 5 feet, 16 pounds; when 5 to 7 feet, 23 pounds, and when 7 to 9 feet, 31 pounds. Thus an ox measuring eight feet girth and seven and a half feet in length should weigh about 8x7½x31 pounds, or, say 1,860 pounds. Under this rule it is customary to deduct one-twentieth of the whole for half-fatted cattle; from 15 to 20 pounds on a cow having had calves, and if not fat an equal amount.

SMUT IN WHEAT.

ILIA, N. Y.

What is the cause of smut in wheat, and what is a sure preventive?

G. F.

_Answer._—Smut is a fungus with very minute spores, that feeds upon the grain, replacing or destroying the organs upon which it feeds. The best preventive used is a pound of blue vitriol in two gallons of water. But it is not enough to sprinkle this over the wheat. Put the grain into enough of the solution to cover it, and stir slowly to allow the light material to rise. Skim, and at the end of an hour spread the wheat on a dry floor, and sprinkle it with quick-lime, previously so slacked with chamber lye as to leave the lime in powder. So continue until you have all the wheat treated. In this state it may be heaped, and remain several days before sowing, if the heap be occasionally turned. If the wheat remains damp, it must be still further dried, so it will pass easily from the drill, if it is to be drilled. The above plan is recommended by the “American Encyclopedia of Agriculture” as the only certain preventive. Yet even this may fail sometimes.

FIRST REVOLVING TURRET.

LACON, Ill.—Reading an article in Our Curiosity Shop some time ago set me to thinking of some papers of my former husband, H. G. Hamlin, showing that in 1842 he and a Mr. Nathan I. Styles assisted Mr. Theodore L. Timby, who afterward secured the first patent for a turret-ship, to build a model. After much consulting and experimenting, in 1843 they changed their plan and built a working model called a “revolving battery for offensive and defensive warfare on land and sea,” expense not to exceed $1,800. It was finished in June, 1843. The said model consisted of a circular icon tower, about five feet high and eight feet in diameter, with three decks, and pierced on each deck for thirty-five guns, with two perfect engines worked by steam to cause the said tower to revolve. The cost when finished was $2,230. Said model was built in Syracuse, N. Y., and I saw it on exhibition. I will here copy a letter from F. E. Spinner (I cannot copy his signature):

“It is found on inquiry at the Navy Department that the government pays no one for the use of the patent for the revolving turret. It seems that the company with which Mr. Ericsson is connected has paid a Mr. Timby $100,000 for the use of the patent, and Mr. Hamlin and Styles never received $1.”

After knowing this, Mr. Hamlin applied to Timby for his share; he denied that Mr. H. ever had any interest in it. This was in 1863. He had the papers all made out for his claim, but was taken with congestion of the lungs, and died in a few days.

I heard Mr. Timby say that he conceived the idea when he was only 18 years of age. I don’t like the way he treated his partners, but I like to give credit where credit is due. Mr. Ericsson deserves much of his country for his energy and perseverance in making the application when he did.

Please excuse all blunders, as I am an old woman, almost 74 years of age, and this is the first time I ever wrote to an editor. My present husband is nearly 81. We intend to read THE INTER OCEAN as long as our sight will permit.

MRS. WM. MAXWELL.

CLIFF DWELLINGS IN SONORA.

WHITEWATER, Wis.

Is it so that there has been a recent discovery of ancient dwellings in Sonora cut in the sides of the mountains, in solid rock? If so, is it known who made them?

ABORIGINE.

_Answer._—There are some remarkable ruins about four miles southeast of Magdalena, Mexico, in the State of Sonora, which have of late attracted a good deal of notice. There is among these one pyramid, with a base of 4,320 feet square and an elevation of 750 feet. It has a winding roadway, leading by an easy grade from bottom to top, wide enough for carriages. This is several miles long. In the sides of this mountain, as one ascends, he passes hundreds of chambers cut in the solid rock, with walls, floor, and ceiling hewn to an even precision truly remarkable. These chambers vary in size from five to ten, sixteen, and even eighteen feet square. There are no windows and but one entrance, which is always from the top. The height of the ceiling, usually, is eight feet. The walls are covered in places with hieroglyphics and figures of men and animals. In some places feet and hands of human beings are found cut in the rock. Who constructed these dwellings is not now certainly known. Some claim that they were the ancestors of the ancient Aztecs or Toltecs. It is not improbable that they are the remains of ancient Zuni tribes.

GOVERNORS OF INDIANA.

GREENCASTLE, Ind.

Will the Curiosity Shop give me the names of the Governors of Indiana from 1800 to the present time and the time when each was in office.

C. E. JACKSON.

_Answer._—Territorial Indiana had but three Governors: William H. Harrison, 1800-1811; John Gibson, 1811-1813; Thomas Posey, 1813-1816. Admitted to the Union in 1816, its first State Governor was Jonathan Jennings, who served until 1822. His successors were William Hendricks, 1822-1825; James B. Ray, 1825-1831; Noah Noble, 1831-1837; David Wallace, 1837-1840; Samuel Bigger, 1840-1843: James Whitcomb, 1843-1848; Paris G. Dunning, 1848-1849; Joseph A. Wright, 1849-1857; Ashbel P. Willard, 1857-1861; Oliver P. Morton, 1861-1867; Conrad Baker, 1867-1873; Thomas A. Hendricks, 1873-1877; James D. Williams, 1877-1881; Albert G. Porter, 1881-1885.

LOYAL CONFERENCE—DIAMONDS.

OHIO, Ill.

1. I was told that some religious body of persons—as a conference—cheered on hearing the news of a political achievement. What body was it, and where? 2. Is there a tariff on diamonds brought into this country? 3. Are the women of Utah allowed to vote at general elections?

NELSON SHIFFLET.

_Answer._—In several instances during the late war the Methodist Episcopal Church Conferences cheered and sang the doxology when news of great victories for the Union was announced; and in religious meetings of several denominations the announcement of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was received with shouts or cheers and songs of thanksgiving. 2. Glaziers diamonds are on the free list, but on other diamonds, cut or uncut, there is a duty of 25 per cent ad valorem. 3. Utah women have the right of suffrage in all Territorial elections. None of the Territories have any voice in the Presidential elections.

STATE OFFICERS OF WISCONSIN.

SHARON, Wis.

1. What steps must be taken before a Territory can be admitted to the Union as a State? 2. Please name the different State officers of Wisconsin, the salary of each, and when each term began and will end.

A READER.

_Answer._—The answer to your second question would fill one or two columns of our paper, and we must, therefore, refer you to the Secretary of State, Madison, Wis. The following is a list of the present State officers:

Governor, J. M. Rusk $5,000 Lieutenant Governor, S. S. Fifield 1,000 Secretary of State, E. G. Timme 5,000 Treasurer, E. C. McFetridge 5,000 Attorney General, L. F. Frisby 3,000 Adjutant General, C. P. Chapman 500 Superintendent Public Schools, Robert Graham 1,200 Secretary Agricultural Society, C. Babbitt 2,000 Commissioners of Lands, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and Attorney General, ex-officio Insurance Commissioner, P. L. Spooner, Jr 3,000 Railroad Commissioner, N. P. Hanger 3,000 State Librarian, J. R. Berryman 1,500 Chief Justice, Orsamus Cole 5,000 Associate Justices, W. P. Lyon, H. S. Orton, David Taylor, and J. B. Cassady, each 5,000 Clerk, Clarence Kellogg, $5 per day and fees.

The terms of the first four officers named, and of the Superintendent of Public Schools, began Jan. 2, 1882, and will end Jan. 7, 1885; the Adjutant General is appointed by the Governor, as is also the State Librarian; the Secretary of the State Agricultural society is elected by the board; the term of the Insurance Commissioners began Jan. 5, 1882, and will end Jan. 5, 1885. Your first question has been answered recently as well as we can do it.

MAINE LIQUOR LAW.

MT. AYR, Iowa.

Please tell us what the Maine liquor law is, and its effects. Are the Prohibitionists generally satisfied with the law?

M. J. DONAHOE.

_Answer._—The “Maine law,” briefly stated, is this: The sale of all intoxicating liquors shall be controlled exclusively by a special agent, appointed by the State; and he shall superintend their lawful sale for medicinal, mechanical, and manufacturing purposes. All other persons are prohibited from selling any liquors, except unadulterated cider and wine, and from manufacturing for unlawful sale. The authorized commissioner, violating the law, shall be fined not less than $30, and imprisoned for not more than three months. A common seller shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $250, with imprisonment for from three to four months. Any one receiving injury from an intoxicated person may sue the one who sold the liquor. The lessee or owner of the saloon is also liable. As to the effect of the law, we quote from the address of Governor Dingley to the Legislature, in 1875: “The statistics (in the Attorney General’s report) show that during the past year, in the Supreme Court alone, there have been 276 convictions, 41 commitments to jail, and $30,898 collected in fines under these laws—more of each than in any other year, and four times as many convictions and ten times as many fines as in 1866, when the general enforcement of these laws was resumed after the close of the war. It is significant, also, that during these nine or ten years of gradually increasing efficiency in the enforcement of the laws against dram-shops, the number of convicts in the State Prison has fallen off more than one-fourth.” Governor Sidney Perham, in his message to the Legislature in 1872, says; “The present law, when it is enforced, is, so far as I can judge, as effective in the suppression of the traffic as are other criminal laws against the crimes they are intended to prevent.” And Governor Chamberlain, in his message of 1870, said; “The laws against intoxicating liquors are as well executed and obeyed as the laws against profanity, unchastity, and murder.” These are a few of the testimonies given to the efficiency of the Maine law. As a rule prohibitionists are satisfied with the efficiency, but not the sufficiency, of the legislation. Still the cause of temperance has been greatly aided by the Maine legislation, and the progress has probably been as great as could be expected.

GREAT SALT LAKE.

FREDONIA, N. Y.

What is the extent of Great Salt Lake? Has it any outlet? Are the waters salt enough to make good salt? Is Salt Lake City on the margin of the lake, or some distance off? Is it navigable?

_Answer._—Great Salt Lake is a remarkable body of water, in some respects the most remarkable in the world. Like the Dead Sea and the Aral Sea, in Asia, it has no outlet. Its extent is given variously by different authors. One explanation of this may be the generally conceded fact that the rainfall of the region between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada is increasing, and the average level of Salt Lake seems to be steadily rising, so whereas one authority states the length of the lake as about ninety miles and the breadth as from twenty to thirty-five miles, another says it is seventy miles long and forty-five broad. One says its area is about 3,200 square miles, and another says it is between 3,000 and 4,000 square miles. One says it is about 4,200 feet above sea level, while another says it is 4,250 feet above, and still rising, and a still later statement sets it at 4,260 feet above tidewater. One gives the mean depth at 12 feet, and another at about twenty feet. Its maximum depth is variously given at sixty feet and seventy-eight feet. It contains numerous rocky islands, the longest of which, Antelope, is fifteen miles long. Some of these islands are used as sheep pastures. The Bear, the Weber, and the Jordan rivers empty into this lake, and are for the most part absorbed by the sandy plain or evaporated by the dry air of the Great Fremont Basin. Only the Bear River is navigable, and that near its mouth. A line of steamers plies between Corinne, on the north shore, and Black Rock, on the south. Its waters contain about 20 per cent of common salt; some salt is manufactured from this natural brine, and there is no doubt that in time this industry will develop here into great importance. Unlike the Dead Sea, this lake abounds with animal life, insects, shrimps, etc., but not, like the Aral Sea, with fish. The United States Fish Commission has undertaken the experiment of stocking it with certain salt-water fish, and with some prospect of success. Salt Lake City is about eleven miles from the lake in a straight line, and fifteen miles by the traveled road.

INDIAN EDUCATION.

CARLINVILLE, Ill.

An Indian-hater in this neighborhood asserts very positively that the attempts made to educate the Indians are all time and money thrown away. What figures can you give us to disprove this assertion?

A READER.

_Answer._—The last report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs furnishes proof positive that “Indian-hater” is either utterly unprepared to make assertions on this subject, or wilfully misrepresents the facts. Last year there were 5,113 Indian pupils being taught at boarding-schools, and 5,014 in day-schools. There are seventy-eight boarding-schools upon Indian reservations, having in all 4,396 pupils, and in these industrial training has been carried on so successfully that the pupils have cultivated 1,526 acres, raising 18,334 bushels of corn, 4,952 bushels of oats, 19,340 bushels of vegetables, and have made 1,171 tons of hay, and 4,325 pounds of butter. Of the boarding pupils in schools not on reservations, 641 have attended the Indian training-schools at Hampton (109), Carlisle (390), and Forest Grove (151), and 106 have been distributed among various white schools in the States. At Hampton, since 1878, the government has contributed in all $52,000, and private charity $81,000, or, taking the existing number of students as the standard for the five years, $244 per year per student. In these training schools the industrial and mechanic arts are kept in the foreground, and the main object is to inspire the minds of the young Indians with habits of faithful, continuous work. During the past year Carlisle, in addition to much other work, has turned out ten spring wagons to be sent to Indian agencies, and Carlisle and Hampton propose to furnish during the present fiscal year 2,000 pair of shoes, 3,350 dozen articles of tinware, 22 dozen bridles and halters, and 450 sets of harness. An effort is made to teach every Indian girl pupil sewing and housework and the boys farming and mechanical trades. The various religious societies have expended $74,689 in aid of the government work of education strictly, besides $70,142 expended on their own missionary work. This is besides $13,278 contributed by them in aid of Forest Grove and Carlisle training schools, the $26,668 in aid of the pupils at Hampton, $30,504 expended by the societies on their own seminaries, academies, and missions among the five civilized tribes, and $24,149 devoted to schools and missions in Alaska. The Commissioner pays a high tribute to the value of this religious aid.

CHINESE PROVERBS.

LASALLE, Ill.

I have just read that the Chinese are exceedingly fond of proverbs, and make great use of them. That many of these proverbs are full of lofty sentiment and wisdom. Can the Curiosity Shop give us a few of them as specimens?

A REGULAR READER.